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As I continue this blog I am going to refer to our kids as adolescents. As my son continues to remind me: they clearly are not kids anymore.

Several people have recently contacted me to talk about the lack of job training skills that our adolescents may be receiving as right now their full time job may just be to attend school. Also, not many schools integrate internships into the curriculum or as part of the IEP. Truthfully though this should really be part of any transition IEP. We need to create opportunities for our adolescents and we should find a way to get the schools to incorporate this into any IEP. You, however, must take initiative to discover these opportunities. An internship may be more appropriate than homework. A parent recently shared with me that the homework she has for her daughter is specific to life skills. This will ensure that there is continuity with these skills at home and provide better generalization. These skills may be cooking a meal or preparing lunch. If you have an adolescent who is strong academically but lacks basic hygiene or other skills that will allow them to be independent and also keep a job then you may want to consider how to balance this.

Consider transportation needs if your adolescent will not drive. Our son took the bus on his own last week and walked to his job. We had to be very strategic as for the past year as he has been very resistant to doing this on his own. He practiced many times and we are having someone shadow him. He had to be the one to tell us he was ready which I believe to all be part of his own growth. As I often share with others we just cannot get caught up with the time it may take to gain a particular skill as many of our adolescents can take a long time to get there but when they get there they generally retain what they learned. We also worry about how others will react to him in public when he starts talking to himself or pacing or even just looking up all the time. He is very comfortable sharing with others that he has autism and we have talked to him about what he would do if someone reacted to his behavior. He has some responses but most importantly he has a cell phone so he can call us or anyone else that he knows can help him. Some day he will be on his own and we have to face these issues now so he knows how to manage them. Very overwhelming as a parent. I am most motivated by the fact that I want his younger brother to have his own life and choices as he will likely be C guardian some day when we are no longer here. If C is able to live independently and work with support of GGRC this will not fall on my younger son.

We have identified 3 skills that we want my son to gain over the next 6-12 months. We are not specifically including this in his IEP as we are focused on helping him gain this outside of his transition program. We are just not sure that they have the resources for this and we are making this choice. He does get a lot out of his transition program but not necessarily all that we believe he will need to get to the point of living and working on his own. This is why he is also involved with Autistry. We do have to make tough choices about finances as we do have a younger son who will be going to college in a couple years.

Next week I will talk about GGRC. Summer is just about over and here we go into another school year.

Category: Transitions |
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The Autistry Model Employment Program launched in June. The program is designed to give hands-on, real-world job experience to Autistry students who have completed at least one semester of the Core Workshop Program.

We began with two students, Connor and Ian and a teeny tiny budget. But even at this small size we are seeing a huge impact – the products are amazing and we have a long line of students who want to get into this program. The students are learning many new skills including how to work as a team and how to build customer-driven designs.

Ian and Dr. Bryna Siegel

The first commissioned piece was a 4’x 4′ garden shed. This order was very special as it came from Dr. Bryna Siegel who 15 years ago diagnosed Ian with autism. She was delighted to be our first customer. Ian and Connor worked very hard and were proud of their first project.

We have several in-house projects lined up and we are accepting orders for commissioned pieces. If you would like to discuss a project email Dan: dan@autistry.com.

We are all very excited about the upcoming 2nd Annual Autistry Faire: Cardboard Carnival on Sunday, October 27th. The Faire is our main fundraiser and supports the Opportunity Fund which provides scholarships and sliding scale fees to moderate/low income students. The Faire also supports the expansion of Autistry programs and the new Model Employment Program. For this year’s Faire we are really rocking the house.

Your logos go here!

The centerpiece of the Faire is a 40-foot-long racetrack for remote-controlled cars. The giant racetrack is being built by Autistry staff and students with help from the artists of The Cardboard Institute of Technology. One of the sponsorship opportunities is to sponsor a 30-40 mph 21-inch long RC racecar. Your car will be customized by Autistry students to your specifications to promote your support of Autistry Studios. We will host a VIP Racetrack Social the night before the Faire where you can race head-to-head against other sponsors while enjoying cocktails and a special tour of our 10,000 sq. ft. facility. We are happy to have a car sponsored by a group of businesses, organizations, or families – we will make room for all the names and logos. This is fundraising at its most fun. Check out the other Racetrack sponsorship opportunities on our Sponsorship Page!

Little Auto Shop of Horrors

The Autistry Activity Booths are back! This year’s haunted extravaganza will be The Little Auto Shop of Horrors! Sara and Jeremy have retooled the Haunted Hospital into an automotive nightmare guaranteed to scare your lug-nuts off.

Courtenay creating Face Art

Courtenay returns to paint her fabulous One-of-a-Kind Face Art Creations. There will also be an all new Shooting Gallery, the Fishing Wall, Plinko Board, Bean Bag Toss and much, much more. You can support Autistry by sponsoring an Activity Booth – see ourBooth Sponsorship page.

Beso Negro

And…special live performances by amazing local bands.

Beso Negro has an all-star lineup of internationally experienced musicians who have brought drive and passion to Gypsy Swing. The love for tradition has collided with a modern sensibility and has transformed the genre into a vibrant new beast.

Marble Party

Marble Party is part indie rock, part power pop, and a hint of psychedelia. Their debut album Lyle has garnered rave reviews. “..unique sound that displays both precise musical acumen and a laid-back Northern California vibe all at once. The music satisfies on so many levels.”